Superintendent Julie VanderWiere said the superintendent,
clerk, treasurer, ordinance enforcement officer and part-time secretary are not
included in the raise.

The percentage is based on the average consumer price index
increase for Michigan in 2012 and 2013.

VanderWiere said staff members received bonuses in 2011 but
have not received a salary increase since 2008. Meanwhile, duties have
increased as the office has begun issuing passports and dog licenses and
employees have been asked to maintain the website.

For most employees, the increase equates to a raise of
between $0.40 and $0.85 per hour. The fire chief's salary will go from $55,798
to $57,248.

MLive file

The township budget approved unanimously by the board Monday allowed
for the cost-of-living increase, VanderWiere said. The township's 2013 budget
reflects $2,231,009 in total estimated revenue, an increase from 2012.
VanderWiere said the big changes are anticipated increases in real property
tax, state-shared revenue and reimbursement from the fire department and
Downtown Development Authority for a new building and lighting.

The 2013 budget projects estimated appropriations of
$2,301,286, an increase from 2012. Vanderwiere said the most significant
increases come from increases in some association fees, more training expenses
due to new trustees, tax tribunal reimbursements, capital outlay for new
carpeting and an updated website, and rising medical insurance costs.

Township resident Linda Drenth said the increase in health
insurance costs for the township should be considered a raise for employees because it
amounts to additional compensation. She said she would understand them getting
raises if they paid a percentage of their health insurance, rather than a set
amount.

Trustee Trish Roberts, who voted against the cost-of-living
increase along with trustees Jeff Vander Roest and Wendy Mazer, questioned the
cost to the township of the raises and requested more information on actual
compensation, employee evaluations and what private companies are doing.

"I understand for employees, what mostly matters is
take-home pay," Roberts said. "But as a trustee, I have to look at
total compensation."

Vander Roest also said he wanted more information.

"I'm not sure how much more information we can
get," Supervisor Greg Pendowski said. "We have a lot of it right in
front of us. What these employees do is tremendous. This is just a
cost-of-living increase. We can throw so many figures and ideas at this, we
could be here forever."

Clerk Linda Kerr agreed.

"We are a service business, which is employees,"
Kerr said. "You better appreciate your employees and compensate
them."